With Congress attempting to define journalism again, it seems like a good time to revisit the whole "free press" thing. Understanding why the founders thought a free press was essential ultimately helps us determine whether federal overreach into protected liberties is appropriate.In 1799, James Madison explained:

Earlier this summer, Senator Durbin made news when he introduced the Free Flow of Information Act or 'Shield Law'.  The bill's intention is to protect journalists from disclosing their confidential sources. A lesser known fact is that Senator Graham was a co-sponsor of this bill. Although it's a sad indicator that legislation like this is even being discusssed, the original bill appeared on the surface to be a legitimate attempt to provide protection for a journalist's sources.

Illinois, Illinois, Illinois. What has happened to you? How could the land of Lincoln stray so far from the principles of freedom? Every time we look, the state government is up to something shady. While the graft usually takes place in Chicago, today’s example comes from Bellevue, just outside of St. Louis.

Back in 2010 Aaron Tobey, now known as the "Fourth Amendment Flasher," protested TSA's unconstituional screening procedures. While waiting in the security line at Richmond International Airport, Tobey was referred to the full body (naked image) scanner. He declined the invasive scanner and opted for a pat-down. 

My Dad always told me everything is legal as long as you pay for it. Meaning of course, once you've paid for a permit you're exempt from laws those without a permit are bound to. Over the past few years, there have been numerous incidents of local governments harassing Bible study leaders who dare to host regular Bible studies in their homes. 

Abraham Lincoln warned us that "America will never be destroyed from the outside.

Being a semi-old coot, I don’t have much experience with hipster retailer Urban Outfitters. I visited one of their stores a few years ago to grab a gift card for my niece. My young daughter liked the set-up and excitedly told a pierced and tatted counter girl, “this place is almost as cool as WalMart!”Miss Counterculture didn’t find this as amusing as I did.

What is going on with Republican (?) Senator Lindsey Graham from South Carolina? He’s never been the most conservative of conservatives but, this week, he’s managed to tell us just how unimportant he finds the Constitution not once, but twice. Apparently, in Lindsey Graham’s world, the First and Fourth amendments are disposable. 

Project Veritas, lead by the intrepid James O'Keefe, released their latest investigation yesterday. This time, a group of guerilla journalists tackled the California Homeless Bill of Rights. Similar to legislation passed in Rhode Island last summer, the California Homeless Bill of Rights passed the judiciary committee with a vote of 7 to 2. The bill means to stop the criminalization of homelessness by allowing the homeless to be wherever they want, whenever they want, or so the lefties believe.